Japanese (日本語) Typing Tests
Practice typing in Japanese (日本語) with timed tests from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. Real native vocabulary, instant results. No sign-up required.
About Japanese (日本語)
Japanese (日本語) is spoken by approximately 125 million people, almost exclusively in Japan. It uses three interlocking writing systems: Hiragana (46 syllabic characters for native Japanese words and grammar), Katakana (46 characters for foreign loanwords and emphasis), and Kanji (thousands of Chinese-origin characters for core vocabulary). Most written Japanese combines all three scripts in a single sentence.
Special Characters
Hiragana covers all Japanese syllables: あ (a), い (i), う (u), か (ka), き (ki), さ (sa), な (na), は (ha), ま (ma), ら (ra) and their full syllabary. Katakana mirrors hiragana visually (ア, イ, ウ...) for different uses. Common kanji: 日 (day/sun), 本 (origin/book), 語 (language), 人 (person), 年 (year), 月 (month). Japanese uses full-width punctuation: 。(period), 、(comma), 「」(quotation marks).
How to Type Japanese Characters
Japanese is typed with an IME using Romaji input — type the romanized syllable and the IME converts it (e.g., 'ka' → か, 'shi' → し, 'tsu' → つ). Press space to convert kana to kanji, then Enter to confirm. Windows: Settings → Language → Add Japanese (Microsoft IME). Mac: add 'Japanese - Romaji' in Input Sources. Advanced typists use the Kana input layout where each key maps directly to a kana character for higher speed.
Typing Tips for Japanese
Speed comes from minimizing IME conversion pauses. Learn which kanji the IME suggests first for common words — it learns your preferences over time. Particles は (wa), が (ga), を (o), で (de), に (ni) follow nearly every noun — make these automatic. Katakana loanwords are easy wins: コーヒー (koohii = coffee), テレビ (terebi = TV), パソコン (pasokon = PC).